The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and relevant links.

Encore - Victoria Falls from Above

October 24, 2015

Take a look back at some of the EPODs our viewers found particularly eye-catching. Today, and every Saturday EPOD invites you to rediscover favorites from the past. Saturday posts feature an EPOD that was chosen by viewers like you in our monthly Viewers’ Choice polls. Join us as we look back at these intriguing and captivating images._________________________________________________

As viewed from a helicopter, Africa’s iconic Victoria Falls is seen here plunging off a precipice into a gorge on the Zambezi River, demarking the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. This spectacular waterfall, named for Queen Victoria by 19th-century British explorer and missionary David Livingstone, is also known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya ("The Smoke that Thunders"). It is recognized as a World Heritage Site and is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Zambezi River is about a mile (1.6 km) wide at the point where the river cascades off a basalt plateau into a traverse chasm. This sudden plunge, with a maximum drop of about 355 ft (c 108 m), tosses a cloud of spray into the sky that can rise as high as 1,300 ft (400 m), providing a canvas for jaw-dropping rainbows. Photo taken on March 30, 2008.